RonaldODowd

A member since December 27, 2007 22:13

Message

Comment History

Harper has "poisoned the well" in parliament - path forward is uncertain (2008-12-01)

• Hi Nik, Because I don't want to overly poison the well, I will be making only sporadic comments from this point on. As you may have noticed, I've been kee...
• Hollinm, There comes a time in everyone's life when a person has to stand up and be counted. This is not my first time at bat. Respectfully, is Harper's g...
• Gohabs1, Thanks very much!
• Kutkw'unuukws, Tom Good, Thank you.
• MRM, I have many friends in the CPC. I'll put in a good word for you. Harper could certainly benefit from your advice.
• Lex Llewdor, I can tell you right now that that will never happen. Harper will never resign and the CPC will not push him out. He is there for the duratio...
• I also agree that Harper has an edge in an election.
• Bernie, Nice to hear from you. I was waiting. Wish I could head off to California for a drink with Eva...much better than putting up with all this B.S....
• If I was a betting man, I would have a hundred on your argument.
• Chris30, Appointing Elizabeth May to the Senate is political suicide in my opinion. If the coalition gets there -- and that is a big IF, better to run her...
• Congratulations, again right on the money.
• Informed1, Because they have brains; Because they know the meaning of reasoned, well-thought out responses to problem solving and political priorities;...
• Agreed. Quite literally can't stand the sight of Harper but even I have to defend him on this one. Entirely inappropriate.
• Lex Llewdor, When the Liberals, the NDP, the Bloc and the Greens all have the same 15 million dollar war chest as the Conservatives, you can count on me t...
• Informed1, Brilliant short-term tactical moves are for generals of a lesser calibre. Much more politically sophisticated work is required to take Harpe...
• Informed1, You know, the regional organizer once asked me to pick up the then leader of the opposition and Laureen at the airport. I felt that discretion ...
• Informed1, I'm afraid that I don't qualify, having previously supported and worked for the CPC since 2004! They might question my mental state. (And it w...
• God Bless the "SEPARATIST COALITION"! And may they, with God's infinite wisdom, succeed in separating this country from the government of Stephen Harper, ...
• Informed1, She can kick my butt anytime but not until she kicks HIS first! God knows he is overdue for it. We certainly can't count on others to do it ...
• Take care man. Harper's people might be taping your E-mail.
• Playing The Bloc Card - Round Two. We can all recall what happened when the Conservatives played the Bloc card last time. Who can forget the sight of Jacq...
• Attention: Conservative Parliamentary Caucus! Good news! We finally know now what the caucus can get the Prime Minister for Christmas. I know how members ...
• MRM, Yes, the three parties are all the same -- fundamentally decent. Your side of the House should try it sometime. But then again, change (especially...
• MRM, Don't worry. There is effective treatment for paranoid mania and delusional thoughts. Good luck. I'm pulling for you.
• Democracywave, I hear that one of the parties in Parliament has petitioned Elections Canada to change its name. From this point on, they want to be known ...
• MRM, You're right. However, that doesn't jive with the fact that Conservative cabinet ministers are eager to find out where I get my information on the CP...
• MRM, I'm talking about Conservative inside baseball information which I have not made public but which is circulating in the CPC. Please check with your Q...
• MRM, Sorry wrong guess.
• MRM, Do you know the difference between Conservative talking points and opposition parties' talking points? I figure you don't. So please, let me help ...
• Informed1, Let's not play games. We both know Harper will be on television on Friday and will prorogue on Saturday.
• Informed1, We are going to the polls...in February! That is as obvious as being hit in the face by a Harper bus.
• Informed1, We'll see. It will depend whether Goldy is having an off-day or not!
• MRM, As you know, the PM has decreed that the above mentioned conditions are a necessary prerequisite for membership in the Conservative Party of Canada. ...
• MRM, Timing is everything in politics as the CPC is about to discover. Have a good day!
• MRM, Yes, I'm hoping to use the coalition as an air freshener on Parliament Hill. The stench coming from all those deliberate falsehoods emanating from th...
• Informed1, How memory can be selective at times...let me quote you some Harper-speak: it is THIS Prime Minister, who is leader of THIS government who ado...
• Informed1, Like Jean Charest, I choose Quebec and Canada. They are not mutually exclusive. Stephen Harper believes that -- or at least, he claims to belie...
• Informed1, Yes, I agree that the CPC does have quite extensive previous experience with floor crossers. Old habit are indeed hard to break -- aren't they?
• Informed1, Thanks for calling Jean Charest and myself a traitor. Not very credible. Have a chat with Goldy -- he can give you a much better playbook. T...
• Informed1, Next you'll be calling Stockwell Day a traitor for his deal with the Bloc in 2000. Get serious, or take a vacation.
• Canadian Alliance and Bloc Quebecois -- former partners -- allies against all that was evil on Parliament Hill in 2000. I guess it's a case of do what I s...

New Nanos National Poll - CP, 32%, LP 30%, NDP 20%, GP 10%, BQ 9% (2008-11-19)

• Tom Good, At first blush, two things come immediately to mind: if this poll marks the beginning of a trend, the PM has lost big -- not because of the numb...
• Since it is not politically expedient to raise revenues by hiking taxes (including consumption taxes) that is precisely what lies down the fiscal road. Fl...
• Foxer, I can only speak for myself. I vote one way and may or may not reveal my true intention to the pollster, if called. My dad used to say it was co...
• Foxer, One more thing. My dad's been dead for almost two (2) years now but the tag team of Doug and Irwin are still hitting him up for money. It did no go...
• Tom, I think the Quebec election (the much hated one) will be rather telling. If Charest gets his majority government, IMHO, that will be a direct cue to ...
• Foxer, [wink] You know how we are in Quebec! We're thinking, it's high time to belly up to the trough after many a generous financial contribution but ...
• Will the government's intention to abolish public financing for political parties provoke an election? And if so, will it lead to a Harper majority or conver...
• Informed1, Playing Russian roulette is not my idea of a fun time.
• Informed1, I agree that a viable business plan for the Big 3 is an absolute necessity both in the U.S. or in Canada before injecting taxpayer money. That ...
• He was quite clearly a combatant. But it is a stretch to say he killed the medic with the grenade. Motive, opportunity and the causal relationship must be es...
• Foxer, Come on. Don't you remember how the Prime Minister was nothing more than an Alliance joke when he was leader of that party. Harper couldn't get vot...
• Informed1, This is political showboating of the highest order: we both know what percentage 30 million dollars is of total federal spending. It is quite l...
• Larryl, Bloc support does not lend itself to Liberal crossover. In Quebec, the Conservatives gain votes at the expense of the Liberals, or vice versa. The...
• Informed1, You are hardly an amateur at this game. You know full well that if this goes ahead, Layton and especially Duceppe will not take cabinet posts. ...
• Informed1, Trudeau is dead. Chrétien and Martin are unavailable. In short, no former PM to take the helm of the party. As a result, Dion gets to carry the...
• Larryl, The Bloc was founded by breakaway Progressive Conservative MPs from Quebec under the leadership of Lucien Bouchard. Jean Lapierre, a John Turner c...
• Chretien and Broadbent have been mandated by Dion and Layton to work out a deal. They have been meeting for four (4) days and will meet again today...
• Foxer, My NEXT prediction! The PM will move up the announcement of the DATE for the economic rescue package. I will be looking to see Cory's smiling fa...
• Gohabs1, I do not disagree with your assessment. In the last campaign, as I spoke with people in my riding (Louis-Hébert) they told me that they did not l...
• Gordo05, I said prior to the last election that the PM held all the aces -- that the GG would not allow the opposition parties to form a government since ...
• Tom Good, The PM has damaged the Conservative brand -- many of us saw Harper as a political pragmatist, as a man who would mollify his right-wing when nec...
• Why Harper Is Doomed. Stephen Harper is a man who is tempermentally ill-suited to occupy the office of Prime Minister of Canada. The man has shown us that...
• Larryl, As of today, I doubt anyone will be referring to me as a loyal Conservative. I have recently taken the decision to break with the CPC. I will a...
• Larryl, Thank you. From this point on, I will be supporting the Liberal Party of Canada. As a little ant, I have a lot of work to do to help build the ...
• Mar, It is all academic. As you may know, the government has cancelled two confidence votes in the House scheduled for Monday. That speaks volumes, doesn'...
• MRM, I was a nobody in the CPC. Why are you upset about it? Seems to me that the CPC is more than capable of running its tremendous braintrust without my ...
• Larry, All the best to you during these difficult times. You are a fighter and I hope your health will soon be restored to peak condition. Canada can u...
• MRM, Have you no conception of political reality? Do you think that I'm the only person who has decided that Harper's clumsy attempt to bankrupt the oppos...
• It is funny! But I would not rather speculate about Dion or Harper's privates.
• Informed1, Respectfully, we will disagree. I will always appreciate your input as well as that of Foxer and holinim. Is it a grab for power? Of course ...
• Holden Caulfield, Well, then I guess it's a battle of the constitutional experts...one side is right and one is wrong. I don't practice Constitutional law...
• Gohabs1, Thanks. Again, I could be wrong but I think the PM is far from down and out. I've met Harper several times in the past and was able to get a p...
• Informed1, We can go back and forth on this all day but neither of us will be swayed by the others' opinion. I respect your opinion but as I said before a...
• Informed1, Prior to my recent decision, I supported at the federal level the Progressive Conservative and Conservative parties -- if the writ is dropped,...
• Larryl, My best guess is that Dion will serve as interim PM, if this goes ahead (and that's a big IF) until May, or until the then "government" is defeate...
• Conservatives, as the song goes: "All we are saying, is give peace a chance. All we are saying, is..." give Harper's chief of staff a chance! Isn't this j...
• MRM, I agree with you. I am in illustrious company: you forgot a guy called Stephen Harper -- who used to support the Liberals and Pierre E. Trudeau; ...
• Gohabs1, The Conservatives are likely to prorogue. As you know, that means the government will be defeated on the budget and Harper and Dion will go into ...

On the Harper election win (Nanos Sun Column) (2008-11-04)

• Hollinm, I share many of your concerns. In spite of the optimistic musings of Informed 1, our party has been cut off at the pass and the message is clear:...
• Tom Good, It is a given that self-delusion is the mother's milk of most political parties (except the truly smart ones!)...there must be a rather impressi...
• Informed1, I agree that throwing taxpayer money at the problem is not the way to go in the U.S. I'm hoping that Obama's health-care plan will provide some...
• Informed 1, Now ain't that precious. Boy, did I get a laugh when I read that one. Limit our participation in the provincial campaign: what rot. With t...
• None of the opposition whips are idiots. It is in none of their interests to go to the polls anytime soon. They know how to count and will make sure Harper s...
• Larryl, I agree that timing is everything in politics! Where the saviour is particularly vulnerable is in Quebec -- we must remember that many of thos...
• Informed1, I have addressed the bungling ineptitude of the Quebec strategists in my comments. Nothing more. Same pattern as usual, regrettably so. Howe...
• Informed1, I believe it is optimistic to bury the Liberals when they are far from dead. We have the Liberals down on the canvas but they know how to get u...
• Made In Canada Only, Are you sure you are not a Liberal plant? With built-in arrogance and that precious holier-than-thou attitude, I thought I could smel...
• Tom Good, You really don't play fair. It's been at least three minutes and I'm still laughing. A good one, I must admit. I hope you aren't a Liberal strat...
• Larryl, Don't you know that most of us who go on blogs are actually masochists at heart. We enjoy looking for trouble and many of us know how to find it!
• Harper and Obama. Call me stupid but I don't see it. Can somehow please explain to me precisely how these two gentlemen will work together on the Environm...
• Informed1, Let's get down to brass tacks. Our ministers and MPs are for the most part, trained seals. They do what they are told without question or analy...
• I agree with many of these points. Harper wants a partnership with Obama. Call me skeptical on that one as my new topic illustrates.
• Larryl, I believe that Harper is sincere in seeking areas of common ground. I simply think that there is no common ground to be found, except at the margi...
• Respectfully, I disagree about the cabinet. Government works best and the cabinet system functions correctly when strong ministers are around the table and f...
• Made In Canada Only, Why are you so stuck up on Liberal judges? Don't you think that at the provincial level that judges are often selected based on their...
• Made In Canada Only, Sorry to disappoint you, but I might be the Conservative Fool of the Month. My membership number is: C16922818.
• God knows you're living proof of that.
• I agree as to all issues regarding the North American security perimeter. As I stated previously, the proof will be in the pudding on environmental issues...
• Made In Canada Only, Too bad you don't have the guts to enlighten all us idiots under your own name. A mind like yours deserves to be revealed to the publ...
• Hollinm, Your arguments are persuasive. Both yourself and Informed1 have shown that the PM has much more going for him with regard to this possibility tha...
• Yes, the RCMP operates only in areas of federal jurisdiction in the province of Quebec but is available should a request come from the provincial government,...
• Agreed on all counts. I doubt they will disturb Pelletier. I hear that the poor man is suffering from cancer but I can't confirm that.
• Where Art Thou Oh Quebec Wing?! I couldn't help but chuckle with news that the Conservative Party is dragging out an old retread as a possible fix for the...
• Gohabs1, As you know, there is the theoretical possibility of going ever further than a wing -- as you joking mentioned, a full-fledged party could be cr...
• Informed1, As we both acknowledge, Quebec will not be a priority for the party. You will probably also agree that a provincial wing is a complete waste of...
• Informed1, Thanks. Let's just say that the Premier is a lot more confident than I am -- I'm worried about the francophone vote and the PQ lead... As fo...
• Boy, am I getting old... It was a lunch, I believe, and it was in Riviere-du-Loup. I mean, what a blunder. It was liking deliberately waving a red flag...
• Informed1, As a former member of the fourth estate, I can tell you that political parties screw the media at their own peril -- we can argue whether Ignat...
• Informed1, Well what do you know, Conservatives in Quebec are half-pregnant! We didn't get a provincial CP, we didn't exactly get a provincial wing of ...
• I'm counting on those of you in the know to please bring me up to speed. Who will be the next House of Commons speaker? Will it be the return of Milliken ...
• Thanks! I've seen Galipeau in action and he would indeed be a solid choice. (As an amusing aside, many was the time I watched my former MP standing bes...

Conservative Victory Propelled by Ontario Voters (2008-10-15)

• The Enigma That Is Stephen Harper. To begin, I want to make a few general observations about the Nanos polling: what strikes me is the fact that the elect...
• Hello Larryl, Thanks! Question 1: Yes - our policy convention is in a couple of weeks in Winnipeg. Our party president Don Plett is smiling, he will be...
• Larryl, It starts on the 13th and ends on the 15th. FYI, I won't be there because I'm not a delegate. (I did go to Montreal in 2005.)
• Larryl, What interests me is whether Liberals are preoccupied with "generational" change. Will they go anywhere with a guy from the sixtyish set or can th...
• Sorry Larryl. If there is only one constant in the Conservative universe, it is the fact that the PM always, eventually, learns from his mistakes...Harper wi...
• Informed1, Macro: -most Quebecers are left of center, without a move to the center (as seen by electors in this province), seat gains are, at best, dif...
• As to the lack of ground forces, it has been my experience that many ridings in the Quebec City region signed up hundreds of new members prior to the electio...
• Informed1, It all boils down to which came first, the chicken or the egg: you can't build a team unless party positions reflect Quebec values and resonate...
• Larryl, There is some truth to your points: at Montreal, all hell broke lose on Friday when the platform went off the rails as the Alliance contingent vot...
• Rae can't win for two huge reasons: 1. With the Liberals already much weaker in Ontario, they can't risk choosing a leader who has already severely aliena...

CPAC-Nanos Tracking CP 38, LP 30, NDP 17, GP 9, BQ 6 (ending September 13) (2008-09-14)

• TPQ, You sure don't sound like your worried...I think they heard your same message on the Titanic. Remember, the truth will set you free. Harper is center...
• gretag, Let's face it. People vote for the man, as regrettable as that may be in a parliamentary system. Harper is perceived as strong -- Dion as weak. Th...
• I'll keep it short and sweet: -the CPC is stalled; -the LPC has levelled out; -the NDP has the clear momentum of the campaign and is rising steadily...
• TPQ, I fully agree with you. This will be the nastiest federal campaign ever. That is not my brand of Conservatism and I hope the other parties in addi...
• TPQ, The hidden agenda didn't work last time (when we had no track record in government leading people to fear the worst) and it won't work this time eith...
• Re: The U.S. Election I've flipflopped again. (Just call me Dion or Harper!). I think McCain made a serious error in selecting Sarah Palin. Even though C...
• TPQ, What's your take on the Quebec numbers? I expected to see either the BQ or CPC drop -- but not BOTH. In Quebec City, the Liberals seemed to be plu...
• TPQ, One way or another, I predict Brigitte Legault will be a rising star in your party. She is very impressive. No wonder she went down to help out Hilla...
• Larryl, W's statement is a hoot. I think Biden made a mistake if he said that. Hillary's negatives are consistently in the high 50s -- last time I checked...
• I pray to God that nothing happens to Barack if elected. As for VPs, the country would do well with either Biden or Hillary. That is why Palin is such a d...
• Sorry Larryl but that type of stuff gives me the creeps. No I never heard of it but actuarial tables exist for almost everything, I guess. As for the nega...

CPAC-Nanos Tracking CP 38, LP 30, NDP 15, BQ 9, GP 8 (ending September 12) (2008-09-13)

• Nik, Here's an amateur's take on the national results: After three (3) days of the rolling poll, the Conservatives (my party) are holding firm. It is t...
• Larryl, With all due respect to Dryden, who is a fine man, Liberal delegates made their judgment on his leadership abilities at the last convention. In my...
• Larryl, Sometimes second or third best is better than first best. Just ask Jean Charest, he's been all three!!!!!!!
• NAIT, Jack has a way to go yet. Does anyone seriously believe that the NDP can win enough seats so he can be PM? If so, and it happens, then that perso...
• Larryl, Whether you like Mulroney or not, one must admit that the man was not a coward running away from the tough decisions. Mulroney tackled the FTA, th...

CPAC-Nanos Tracking CP 38, LP 31, NDP 14, BQ 9, GP 9 (ending September 11) (2008-09-12)

• I agree. You can hate a politician's guts, have an absolutely rock-solid conviction that you will not vote for that particular person and nonetheless STILL i...
• TPQ, In the Nanos poll, twenty (20) percent are undecided (+1) and that strikes me as interesting. If the undecided continues to creep up, that will not b...

CPAC-Nanos Tracking CP 37, LP 32, NDP 13, BQ 9, GP 9 (ending September 10) (2008-09-11)

• rsharp, I don't take these numbers too seriously -- remember that on the "factor questions" that the undecided vary from 26 to 31 percent. That is a lot o...
• Nik, With roughly a third of the voters undecided, the debates should be crucial in winnowing out the undecided and establishing a firm polling trend. The...
• larryl, If only the party establishment was as rock solid as I am. They have discovered that in recent weeks!
• elf, Remember the old joke that we all knew Chrétien was speaking but we weren't quite sure in what language since he did not seem to speak either of Cana...
• Blarghman, The federalist vote in Quebec has traditionally been Liberal by a wide margin. Last election, most Liberals deserted the party in the wake of S...

LP 35, CP 33, NDP 17, BQ 8, GP 7 - Harper leads as best PM (New Nanos Poll) (2008-08-29)

• TPQ, With the not all together insignificant opposition in caucus for the present form of the Green Shift, I expect it to be rejigged as the Liberal caucu...
• Larryl, I think the Nanos numbers are a reason for pause. Harper should pull back in my opinion but he won't since the train has already left the station ...
• Foxer, Once again, we are in agreement -- with the unexpected uptick in the American economy, I think the U.S. has hit bottom thus avoiding a full-fledged...
• TPQ, I will give you this much. I agree that a minority win by Dion is a distinct possibility under one scenario. Another, sees Harper re-elected with a m...
• Foxer, Respectfully, I think you are dead wrong. Harper is not foolish enough to think he can destroy the Liberals. That is the dreaming in technicolour v...
• Sorry Larryl, but as Brian so eloquently said: "You go to the party with them that brung you." I will be working in the next campaign in a riding. I hope you...
• Gordo05, Like a newly wise good little boy, I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it! I've learned quite a few lessons from my previous association...
• The logic escapes me as well and I'm a Conservative.
• Larryl, A week is a lifetime in politics: remember how Harper was perceived in 2002 when he became Alliance leader: he couldn't sell lemonade in the middl...
• Larryl, Remember, Preston said it: "Reform". My party has changed, it is now controlled by the West and that political mentality. That will not last forev...
• You know me very well. Truer words were never spoken (about the fun part). I see I was smart to write under my own name!
• Foxer, Are you saying to me that if Dion blows it, that under McGuinty, the Liberals would be cash-strapped? Au contraire, the Ontario money-machine that ...
• Foxer, To quote one of my teachers in Elementary School: As the nun said: "If there's a will, there's a way." Amen, brother.
• Foxer, The Globe and Mail is reporting that Harper & Layton's meeting gave birth to a "dud"...I guess everyone on this board knows what that means. The ca...
• Oh Larryl, now you've done it, getting me to lower another of my veils! I supported Belinda (as did 70% of Quebec members) during the leadership race. You ca...
• Peter3, I still say it is one hell of an unnecessary gamble. This is not craps. At least, if most of the polling was tracking consistently the same way, I...
• TPQ, What's your prediction? Are you going to hold everything you have on the Island of Montreal? Are you going to pick up seats on the South Shore? Will ...
• Blair Wilson. Breakthrough for the Greens or one-day wonder? What will be the effect on the Greens polling numbers? What will be their seat count, if a...
• Larryl, You can't have a constitutional crisis just ahead of an election. The G-G knows her role and wouldn't have signed on to the job unless she was wil...
• TPQ, LOL. I love it when Liberals says that the NDP and the BQ are soon to be history. Respectfully, get real. There is only one way to get rid of the NDP...
• Larryl, And I thought you'd never have a nice word to say about the PM!
• TPQ, Your point cannot really be argued against. You are right but we both know that the electorate, particularly unsophisticated voters (no offense inten...
• Best Or Worst Line Heard So Far: Jack Layton: I'll be applying for Stephen Harper's job! (Worst.)
• Come on Larryl -- this statement isn't even remotely credible and we both know it.
• Larryl, Were the G-G to refuse to dissolve Parliament, IMHO, that would create a constitutional crisis not seen since King-Byng. I believe that most const...
• Larryl, Although the EU has a considerable level of supra-nationality, each individual member remains a nation-state with a sovereign parliament that can ...
• Rusty001, Like Dion and Harper, I've suddenly developed a bad case of flip-flopitis -- I speculated elsewhere that Harper might have polling indicating th...
• Larryl, If she proceeds in the manner which you suggest, which I doubt in the strongest possible terms, you will have proven yourself to be a far better p...
• You must be kidding Foxer. Does this mean you will be attending my wedding to Eva?? Jack's statement does not even have the veneer of political credibilit...
• TPQ, Bought a copy of the book. Interesting read. Yes, I am a center-left Red Tory while Harper is center-right but he is not from the far-right. Harper h...
• Foxer, I could have it wrong but doesn't Nicholson's government bill replace the private-member's bill?
• Globe and Mail/CTV Poll by Strategic Counsel: CPC: 37 LPC: 29 NDP: 17 GPC: 9 As per usual, this continues the trend of the polls being all ove...
• Larryl, I'm afraid that I have no expertise in this matter -- only an uneducated guess. That is why I'm punting the ball to Nik -- if he has a minute. Tha...
• Thank you. No reputable polling firm would skew their results. Their reputation is everything, as in many other professions (except politics!)... The p...
• Larryl, To my knowledge, Nanos is the only pollster that uses a "rolling poll" -- if Nik does it again this cycle for CPAC, you will see the electorate sh...
• Foxer, It certainly is looking good for a seat increase in Quebec but unless we pass the Bloc by a considerable margin, it won't be more than 5-10, IMHO. ...
• Foxer, I feel confident, in spite of a solid polling trend, that we will be re-elected with another minority government. I have trouble swallowing the Env...
• Larryl, Roughly speaking, it is my theory that the three main federalist parties will all make gains in Quebec -- at least in the popular vote! We are lik...
• Larryl, It will depend on the campaign. Remember as Mansbridge said last night on the At Issue Panel, how Turner blew the first part of the campaign. If H...
• Garth, I have nothing but the deepest sympathy for the plight of unemployed workers in Ontario and across Canada. I was once one myself and I well remembe...
• Larryl, I am not authorized to speak on behalf of the party. If that status changes, I will let you know. P.S. Please don't go into comedy -- it doesn'...
• Foxer, Remember, no politician will ever make it into heaven! They are the only profession that give us lawyers a good name...
• Foxer, There is no question that the national media in general, and the parliamentary press gallery in particular, will be gunning for us (compared to las...
• Foxer, As you know, it's a no-brainer: as any photographic purist would tell you -- of course, you use black and white!
• All, Personally, I don't give a crock of shit about Air Dion...it is so piddling and picayune, it is not worth emitting vast quantities of hot air arguing...
• Gilles Duceppe: Le Bloc est présent au Québec. Right -- present but mostly ineffectual therefore unaccountable for their performance in Parliament. Nice reti...
• TPQ, Who can forget the last time that happened...what a sight it was with the premiers screaming bloody murder because some guy was downloading his defic...
• Nothing more frustrating that watching third-rate political strategists at work in the CPC, NDP and BQ...they just don't get it. It's not only The At Issue P...
• Strategists from the lobbyist division of all parties have been known to post anonymously on boards. I could name at least two of ours, but I won't!!
• Larryl, In my judgment, the ad strategy can no longer be considered as a net positive.
• Larryl, The two strategists that I know of are Conservative. I have no idea if they are active on this or any other board. My riding is Louis-Hebert. W...
• Foxer, Have I got this right? Are you calling the Liberals "pooping puffins"? If so, we finally have something in common with Her Majesty's Loyal O...
• Foxer, I will give you four possible election scenarios: 1. The polls until election day show a slow steady climb of Conservative fortunes. The CPC num...

Time for federal politicians to refocus (Nanos Sun Media Column) (2008-08-18)

• Hi Nik, I've been saying for an eternity that McCain will win in a close election. Sexism was subtly responsible for Hillary's demise while subtle racism ...
• I'm in need of a serious drink...it seems to me that one of the elementary rules of politics is that you don't provoke your own government's demise to replac...
• Larryl, You made me chuckle when you called us a "band of thieves". If that is so, then so are the Liberals for sleeping at the switch on Sponsorship. Aft...
• TPQ, I was against this ad strategy from the get go. Negative ads work in campaigns under some circumstances but not under others -- I could be wrong but ...
• Larryl, I am not employed by either the government or the party. I also do not hold any position as a volunteer.
• Larryl, As a lawyer, I have to be careful here. When I spoke of stolen money it was because several defendants had been convicted in criminal trials. ...
• Foxer, I find your comments most enlightening. You make many excellent points that are within the serious realms of possibility.
• Larryl, The ultimate judge and jury on In and Out will be the court of public opinion. The voters will weight the evidence and render a judgment on the co...
• TPQ, Whether we're talking of the hearings in 2004 or today, in my view, the Ethics Committee is never an impartial body capable of adjudicating whether w...
• TPQ, MRM, Too bad I don't practice in Constitutional Law. TPQ, respectfully, I tend to agree with MRM's view but I'm no expert on the matter. Besides,...
• I have no way of knowing whether Guite was a card-carrying Liberal but I suspect he was not bearing in mind his position in the public service. As for Bra...
• IMHO, in the world of real politik, I don't see the G-G turning down a dissolution request from a sitting Prime Minister. I have a better chance of marrying ...
• Our party should, as René Lévesque famously said, "take a Valium" -- Harper should take a long deep breath. Some think he is bluffing. I don't. Personally...
• Foxer, As you may know, I live in the Quebec City region. Generally, I find the CROP/La Presse poll encouraging. However, I would contrast it with other p...
• TPQ, No question that Emerson is one of the most solid ministers in the cabinet. His departure will reduce the heft in cabinet. However, I wouldn't rea...
• TPQ, Foxer, You know what this means. Bourque will be unavailable for a while -- too busy constantly calling the body shop to find out when the painted b...
• Obviously, I was not clear enough in the way I expressed my point: I'm arguing that the G-G will not ask the Opposition Leader to try and form a government t...
• What about Plamondon? Is he on the mark when he says that he suspects that Harper may have the numbers pointing to a majority win? Is Harper being clever ...
• Larryl, Sorry. Bob Plamondon is a Conservative "insider" who has written several books and is in the process of writing another book on the party. I gu...
• Larryl, You may be an amateur at this but to my mind, you have the keen instinct of a political strategist. For my part, I have no idea what Harper is rea...
• TPQ, As Truman said: "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen". IMHO, this is a fight to the political death -- either Harper or Dion will be ...
• Larryl, I hope you will reconsider my suggestion -- it is precisely because you have such a love of country that it would be appropriate for you to get in...

Both Harper and Dion face greater risks than their rhetoric suggests (Nanos Sun Column) (2008-07-21)

• As a Conservative, I also sense the growing malaise pervasive among the electorate -- people are disillusioned with both major parties and seem ready to cons...
• What I wouldn't give for a professor to tackle this issue. I certainly don't favour screwing "the West". But a reasonable transfer of wealth to the less fort...
• Hi Larryl, I live in Quebec City. Right now, in the immediate area, the Bloc holds the Quebec City riding (Christiane Gagnon) while former radio star Andr...
• I don't think it will backfire. Most people are proud of the celebrations and are grateful for the money from the federal and provincial governments. I fe...

The Federal Tories - Poking Ontario with a sharp stick (Sun Media Column) (2008-03-31)

• It's too bad to see everyday Liberals and Conservatives adopting the same sleazy and unappetizing banter that has been enthusiastically adopted by their so-c...

Afghanistan Vote and the Issue Environment (Video Blog Post) (2008-03-14)

• Gents, I think that hollinm and parnel are a good representation of the electoral divide in this country -- Harper has to convince the parnels of this wor...
• MRM, Sponsorship is no longer an effective club with which Conservatives can efficiently beat Liberals. The public has moved on, for the most part, and ma...
• In my opinion, the by-elections are nothing more than a wash for either the CPC or the LPC. We can debate until the cows come home but there is no clear d...
• Private members can present bills on abortion or the death penalty. That is their right as members of Parliament. No thinking government of any political str...
• Thank you all for your comments. Now let's see if we can coax Parnel into giving us his views on the following (all of yours would be appreciated as well!...

What will be the impact of the Cadman affair? (Video Blog Post) (2008-03-09)

• This issue is big trouble for us. Cadman's widow (a Conservative candidate), their daughter and son-in-law back up the book's claim though Mrs. Cadman believ...

Election fraught with risks - Nanos Ballot - Lib 33, Con 31, NDP 19, BQ 10, GP 8 (2008-02-08)

• Respectfully, I disagree. I believe that you can't ignore the high level of both racism and sexism that is regretably much too pervasive in the United States...
• I agree that Harper should have given Ontario all the seats to which it is entitled. That decision was small-minded in my opinion. I'm all for more seats in ...
• I would make two minor points: to begin, I wonder about the composition of the Green Party. Prior to Elizabeth May's election as leader, it was known in some...
• SaskKen, I've been advocating moving left for quite some time. But then again, I'm perhaps one of only a few proud Red Tories who have not abandoned ship....
• Hi SaskKen, I can tell you that on Epp's bill, I'm with Josee Verner who voted against it. She represents the riding next to mine. As for my MP, (Luc Harv...

Too many election risks (2008-01-22)

• I agree. Harper still has a chance to turn things around thanks to the Liberals. The Liberals are an incredibly disciplined machine when it comes to the high...
• This week is already off to a bad start for us. With Hillier allegedly screaming at the PMO and Spector allegedly about to give quite a performance before th...
• In fact, the Conservatives did abstain on the vote for the Martin 2005 budget.
• My thinking is really starting to shift as we wind down toward an election. I'm getting the sense that a showdown at the polls is imminent. Most voters don't...

Federal Political Year in Review - Challenges and Opportunities for 2008 (2007-12-27)

• As a Conservative, I find it incredibly troubling to see my government floundering -- we should be miles ahead of the Liberals instead of slightly ahead or b...
• Thanks to all for your comments. My account is flagged as Ontario since the system would not accept my postal code, my mother's and a few others that I tr...